Ironing device



S. DEUTSCH IRONING DEVICE July 23, 1940.

Filed Feb. 20, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR S. DEUTSCH BY 5 www ATTORNEY July 23, 1940. s, DEUTSCH 2,209,194

IRONING DEVICE Filed Feb. 20, 1936 4 Sheets-'Sheet 2 www ,31 INVENTORS..DE'UT5CH B* s www ATTORNEY S. DEUTSCH IRONING DEVICE July 23, 1940.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 20. 1936 le E mlm m @www INVENTOR s. D EUTSCH 5 Mi/mu ATTORNEY S. DEUTSCH IRONING DEVICE July 23, 1940.'

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 20, 1936 INVENTOR S. DEUTSCH BY S M gATTORNEY WJ 1(55 L16@ Patented July 23, 1,940

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to ironing devices and it has among its objectsan improved ironing device enabling fast ironing of fiat work, such assheets and towels, as well as clothes and similar articles 5 whichcannot be ironed or are very difficult to iron with the ordinary mangleironers and thus, ordinarily, require slow hand ironing.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be best understoodfrom the following description of exemplilications thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying 4drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational View of an ironing device exemplifying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View of the lifting mechanism of Fig. 1 along line3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the ironing device in folded upstandingposition; o0 Figs. 5 to 8 are detailed cross sectional views o-f the legbrackets of the device; Y

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 1 vof a modified ironing device; f 1

Fig. 10 is an elevational View partially in section of the iron and itssupport when the iron rests on the board;

Fig. 1l is a partially sectional View support in the lifted position; l

Fig. l2 is a top view partially in section iron and its support; A

Fig. 13 'is a detail View of the iron clasp;

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. l -illustrating another modificationof the device;

Fig. 15 is a partially sectional view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating, afurther modiflcatiton of the device; Y 4

16 is a detailed sectional View of the foot lever hinge of Fig. 15;/ y

Fig. 17 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of -a further modification of thedevice; and y y I Fig. i8 is a cross sectional View of the actuatingmechanism of the device of Fig. 17 along line l8-l8 of Fig. 17. f

Since in a majority of households the laundry is washed and ironed athome, many efforts have been made in the past to supply Washing andironing machines to eliminate the drudgery connected with such work. z

The ironing device Aof the present invention enables fast high-qualityironing of all laundry and clothes that required hand ironing in thepast as Well as fast ironing of fiat work while relieving the operatorof the fatigue and strain incidentA to hand ironing.

In accordance with the invention, a heavy iron,

of the i-ron of the iii having a weight of about l() pounds which wouldbe too heavy for ordinary use, is held by a cantilever arm support in a`lifted oating condition making it easy to move it to any portion of theironing board and apply it easily to ruflles, collars, -5' cuffs andsimilar parts of the clothing which ordinarily require hand ironing.' Bya special mecha nism, the cantilever arm lifts the iron 01T the boardthe instant the ironing work on a piece is finished. No manual elfo-rtis needed tolift the iron orto 10 place it on the board while the piecethat is being ironed is folded or rearranged on the ironing board. Thecomplete ironing device can be folded up and stored away in a closetlike an ordinary ironing board. The cord which supplies 1li` electriccurrent to the iron is kept out of the Way during the ironing operationand the iron does not become ventangled in the cord incident to theironing, v

In Figs. 1 to 12 is shown one embodimentof the .20 invention. Itcomprises an ironing board 39` supported by front legs 3l and rear legs32 attached to the underside of the board by bearings, 33 and 34. Asshown in Figs. 4 to 8 the front legs 3l may form parts of a singletubing having a transverse g5 connecting member 36 extending through thebearings 33 and provided with guidepins 31`iitting into longitudinalslots 38 of the bearings to permit transverse shifting of the connecting'memL ber 36 between transverse slots 39, '40 extending 30 from theopposite ends of the longitudinal slot By-bringing the guide pins 31into lengagement with the transverse slots 39, the front legs may betilted in the bearings 33 to the position shown in Fig. l in which thelegs support the table in hori- 35 zontal position. To fold the frontlegs, thefront legs 3| are tilted till the guide pins 3l are alignedwith the longitudinal bearing slots 38, whereupon the legs are shiftedtransversely till the pins 3l engage the transverse slots 40, in'whichposition 40 the legs may be folded as shown inFig. 4. The front legs 3|may be locked in the'folded position, for instance, by bolts 42 slidablymounted in brackets 43 attached to the bottom of ironing board in theway shown in Fig. 4, so that only 45 upon pushing the bolts to theinward dotted lline position 42, the legs may be unfolded to the'position shown in Fig. l. n

As shown iniFig. 6, the rear leg-bearings, 34 have transverse slots 45engaged by transverse 50 pins 46 'extending through the connectingYmember 41 of the rear legs 32 to permit folding .of the,v legs parallelto the board as shown in Fig. 4, or unfolding the legs to the positionwhere they support the board. in horizontal position as shown in Fig.1r. 55

carries between prongs 5l a heavy iron 58.

On the underside of the ironing board near the front edge of itsrear endis mounted a lifting mechanism 5| which is attached to the board by asuitable bracket 58.v Y The lifting mechanism hasl a sleeve 52 whichserves vasI a rotary support for a downward extension 53 of ahorizontally projecting cantilever arm 54 provided with a forearm55which swings freely on the hinge joint 55 and The rear portion ofthe.forearm5 5lisxcurved near its hinged junction' and is `shaped andarticulated.y to

vanism 5| consists of two channelshaped links,

permit easy swinging of the iron supported at the end of the forearm 55to any place above 'and adjacent'to the ironingboard. u

lAs shown in detail in Fig. 3, the lifting'nec'h 6| which are movablyattached through pins 54 to vertical channel members 65, '65 `extendingfrom the supporting bracket 5|! and from thesup.- vporting sleeve 52,respectively, for guiding the sleeve 52 with 'the cantilever' arm'invavertical direction. i v

From the supporting sleeve 52-.extends an in- `ward lifting armn68towhich is joined a down# wardly extendingiod 69 having afoot pedal lll.A tension spring 1| having its upper end 'I2 attached to the undersideof the ironing board 3B "and its lower end 13 to'av 'lug'.onthe. footrod 59 pulls the armand-'the liftingrmechanism' to the upper positionshown inFig l and holds the arm and the iron in this lifted position'.The iron may be readily lowered, and placed .with its full Weight lonvthe ironingboardbyapplying to the foot pedal 'lll suitable foot'pressure suiicient'to overcomethe' pressure of the tension springll l.which ten'd'storreturn the liftingy mechanism and 'the iron to theupper position: Forstorin'g, the

I :foot rod 69'with the tension spring may be tilted around theconnecting pin 'M tothe .foldedposition as'shown in Fig. 4'. f

To reduce the foot pressure 'required' hold the -pedal y'|l) in therdownward position during ironing, the lifting'mechanism' may? beprovided with a toggle arrangement lshown inl Fig. 9. It comprises twotoggle links l 15 l connected between the actuating Aarmfandtheunderside ``ofthe board 30 and v:a spring'gll'which'urges the links tokthe-broken positiohnivv Once the' "foot pedal 10 has ,beenbrought`byfoot pressure to' the'downf ward position shownin Fig. 9, thetwo f'to'ggle'link's are Ain alignment and inY this positionform a'subfstantially straightlrod which opposesfthe vforce of the spring tendingto lift the. iro'n, andthus 'assist in holdingthelifting mechanisml andiron in the downward positionf Llowever, since'the two aligned togglelinks 15 "are in unstable equi#y librium, theyremain alignedonlyfas-long as they are assisted bya small foot' pressure in remainingl vns -bracket18 areheld at a distancejfrom'the hot body of the iron byiai, spacer s'leevel surroundf ging a bolt which connects the bracket tothe iron body. ,',Ihus theY handle aswellnas the bracket 'are at lallltimes maintained at va 'comfortable iron.

low temperature notwithstanding the high temperature of the large ironbody.

The sleeve 'I9 is provided with a protuding ball member 8|! which isengaged by an inner socket surface of a supporting collar 8| fittinginto the annular opening between the end prongs 5l of the supportingforearm 55, the collar socket bel ing locked in place by a wing screw 82as shown in Fig. 12. The cooperating surfaces of the ball` member 8|]and-the collar l8| are so shaped that 0n raising the yarm 55 to lift theiron, the bottom surface of the ironiis automatically brought tohorizontal position in ,which its entire body is l heldat a distancefrom the work lying on the ironing board. As shown Ain Figs. 10 and 11,subvstantial clearances are provided between the cooperating surfaces ofthe supporting ball 80 and the collar 8| to permit4 tilting of the ironwhile it Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 13, one of the prongs 51 may beprovided with a link 83 for closing the opening between the prongs andlocking" the iro'n in place,the link` beingheld in locked position by aspring pressed latch 84` permitting ready opening of the vlink andremoval ofthe The ball member support '88. of the iron serves also asan" automatic signalling device for indi' Aeating to the operator thatthev `full weight of the iron rests on the-ironing`board,`thus 'givinghim a positive indication that thev ironislin the position' requiredYfor efficient ironing. This sig-v nalling action is obtainedA throughthe motion of the ball member'U-fro'm the position in which itis hiddenwithin the collar socket of' the support as shown in Fig. 11 to theposition'where is prtrudes above the collar when the iron ."rests on theVironing board as shown in Fig. 10. While the iron is'in the liftedposition'shown in Fig. ll,

vthe ball member 8l) is hidden-from the view of Athe operator, butjtheinstant the supporting arm 55 lowersthe iron and brings it on the board,

the downward;motionV of the! arm brings the col` lar with thesocket-below'-the upper level of the ball member 8|), exposing it to theview of the` operator, yand thus signals to the operator thatv the vironis in-*its efcient operating position for ironv ing. To increase thesignallingxaction ofthe ball support, the exterior ballsurface may bemade Yof a distinctive color, for instance, red.

The special shape and other yfeatures of'convstructionof thelargeironlwhich make it suitable for doing special ironing work at arapid rate are shown in Figs. l0 and 12."l The pointed nose of the'iron`body and its side edges are beveled -under 'an angle of about 45andjhave'a suflicient lreach for entering under buttons, folds, sleeves,

collars and similar parts of thearticles that are 86' extending rthrougha -bracket pfockr-at 8l and a conduit 88 to the heating elements and theautomatic temperature control embedded` in the main 'iron body58.V4Theheating currentk is supplied to the terminals of the socket 88'bymeans of a cord plug 89 connected to the end of a flexible cord 9| whichis led through the interior of the hollow forearm 55 and main supportingarm 52 to a suitable wall plug. By mounting the terminal socket highabove the hot iron body, the contact members of the socket and the plugare maintained at a relatively low temperature and are protected againstthe quick deterioration lto which the high temperature of the iron bodysubjects the contact terminals and lead connections of ordinary irons.By housing the long cord9| leading from the cord plug in the interior ofthe freely swinging cantilever arm, the cord is not dragged over theboard, entanglement of the iron in the cord is eliminated, and theburning of the cord due to accidental contact with the hot iron body isprevented. l

As shown in Figs. 2 and 4 the supporting bracket 65 which supports thelifting mechanism is mounted at an angle against the longitudinaldirection of the ironing board and the lifting arm extends in the sameangular direction. Since the vertical forces which act on the supportingmechanism are at a maximum when the articulated supporting arms 54 and58 are stretched to support the iron over` the front end of the board,this angular mounting of the support secures an effective balancebetween the forces acting on the support, and reduces to a minimum thefriction and wear of the pins and journaling surfaces which guide themotion of the various elements of the device.

By mounting the lifting mechanism with the sleeve 52 near the front edgeof `the board, the articulated members of the cantilever support do nothave to move far out of the range of the ironing board in order topermit movement of the iron to any place within the range of the board.

To use the ironer, the operator may sit down on a chair in front of theboard, the pointed end of the board being to the left of the operatorand the jointed arm to the right. The iron may then be brought down onthe work by pressing with the foot on the foot pedal 10. This brings theweight of the iron on the work and by grasping the handle it may bemoved over the work without any effort. No exertion has to be exercisedin lifting or tilting it to any point. All that is necessary is torelieve the pressure on the'foot pedal to bring it partially or entirelyup above the work. During the ironing with the foot pedal held down, theweight of the iron rests on the work. The supporting collar` below thehandle bracket automatically drop-s down when the weight of the ironrests on the board, thus signalling to the operator that the iron is inits effective operating position. The ironing handle is high above theiron and remains cool while used, although the iron develops much moreheat than an ordinary iron. By swinging the iron to the side, the entireboard is clear for placing new work on the board andit is not necessaryto lift the iron to get it out of the way. Since the iron has a largebase, 5 inches wide and 81/2 inches long, the ironing 'may be done veryfast. Should the operator suddenly leave the board, the iron isautomatically lifted from the Work, and the damage of burning anyarticles that are ironed is eliminated.

After the ironing work is finished, the legs and the foot rod may befolded against the board and the entire device stored in a closet. Tounfold the device for use, it is placed upright, as shown InFig. 4, withthe weight. resting on 'the front legs'. The rear legs are then unfoldedand the device can be rested on the rear legs While the front legs arebeing unfolded. This is done by swinging the front legs back until theystrike the stop in the way shown in Fig, 8 whereupon the legs areshifted sideways in the position shown in Fig. '7 and then swung forwardto the position shown in Fig. 5. The foot lever which is held by thespring against the board' is then pulled down and the device is readyfor ironing.

In Fig. 14 is shown an ironing device having a modified form of liftingmechanism. As in Fig. l,

the mechanism has a supporting sleeve |00 which is jointed to asupporting bracket |0| by links |02, |03. One of thelinks is providedwith a lever arm extension |04 which is pressed by a compression spring|05 to hold the sleeve |00 in the upper position shown in Fig. 14 inwhich the cantilever arm l0 supports the iron in lifted position'abovethe ironing board. A cord leading from the end of the lever |04 and overa roller ||2 on the underside of the board to a stirrup ||3 controls themovement of the sleeve. By applying downward foot pressure to thestirrup H3, the cord pulls the lever |04 against the force of the spring|05 to the position indicated by the dotted'line ||4 in whichthecantilever arm |0 lowers the iron and'places its weight on the board.If the pressure on the stirrup I I3 is released, the compression spring|05 forces the lever |04 to its downward position shown in Fig. 14lifting the iron from the board.

This device has no foot lever, andthe cord with the stirrup may beplaced at any place convenient to the operator. The cantilever arm l0with the enclosed cord ||5 may be removed from the sleeve to facilitatethe storing of the board. v

In Fig. 15 is shown another modification of the invention inwhich thejointed cantilever arm which supports the iron has a downwardlyextending tubular extension |2| rotatably fitting into a socket sleeve|22 attached by a bracket |23 to the underside of the ironing boardll.The

tubular extension |2| is provided with a supporting ridge |25 flttinginto the interior of the sleeve |22 and is pressed upwardly by a helicalcompression spring |26 located within rthe sleeve. Normally the tubularextension |2| and the iron carried by arm |20 are in lifted position,`the upward movement of the arm extension |2| being limited by a collar|21 attached to the upper end of the sleeve |22. 'Ihrough` the hollowinterior ofthe tubular arm extension |2| extends a rotatably mountedpull rod |29 which can be ro` tated within the sleeve to; bring its footlever |29 within the reach of the operator standing or sitfication ofthe inventionin which the lifting mechcanisrn similar to that shown inFig. 14 is actuated Aby a small electromagnet constituting a part of theactuating mechanism for' lowering the iron. The mechanism comprises asupport- `ing bracket |40 which carries on a channel member |4| twolinks |42, |43 by means of which the supporting sleeve |44 inwhich thelextension |45 of the freely swingingV cantilever arm |46 with itshngedforearm |41 are seated-to permit lift-'+1 ing and lowering of the iron.vTo move the lever |42 vtojits downward vposition 'indicated bythe dottedline |49, 'there is providedfa solenoid magnet |50 having a stationary-core |5l attached,v to the bracket and a movable plunger' |52xactuatedby `an exciting winding |53. The lower end of the plunger |52 hasa pin`|55 engaging slots |56jof a lever |51 extending from the linkv |42sothat upon energizing the exciting coil |53 ofthe magnet the plunger |52andfth'e lever v|41 Vare' pulled to the upwardl dotted. line position,thereby low- I erin'g the supporting arm |46 and placing the weightof-the ironfon lthe board -as in the-prior devices. i f I -Inorder toykeep the supporting arm |46 Vand the iron in the raisedpositiomthelever-|51 is provided with lateral'extensions' |60 and two/comv,pressionsprings |62 mounted between the'lever its lowermost position 'shown inFig.117, the

magnet force acting on the plunger will be sufe flcient 'to'pulltheplunger |52 towarduthe `sta'- tionary corer|5| against the action ofthecompression springs |62 until the sleeve |44withthe iron arm'v |46are lowered placing the'weightI of the iron on 4the vironing board. Asthe'plunger travels toward the core" |5|,themagnetic 'force increasesand Yreaches vavalue requiredA tokeep the lever `in its upward' dottedline position against the full opposing force of the compression spring|62." Since the magnetic gap is at a' minimum in the upper "position oftl'i'efplungerv |52, `a relatively small electromagnet is able to supplythe entire force required to overcome the counteracting force of thespring,"which is not'opposed by the weight of the iron when the ironrests on the board.l VI

AThe magnet winding |53 may be energized from the main supply cord thatdelivers current for heating the' iron by a branch cord |1| having a.control branch |12 leading 'to' a foot? actuated contact switch |13 forenergizing the magnet lcir'- cuit only aslong as the foot rests on theswitch button |13. On 'placing the foot on the switch button |13, ltheiron 4is lowered toits operative ironing position, and the instant thecontact button |13 is released the iron'is lifted toits floatingposition above the board. The compression springs |6 with the associatedoperating elements constitute-a compact unit supported on the bracketv|40 and may bev enclosed in a casing |80. The unitmay be mountedon theunderside of the ironing board or mayibe independently'supported on aseparate pedestal,

`such as a tripod, having a supporting member |8| to which the casing|80 with the'V lifting mechanism may be clamped by wing screwsA |82, andfolding legs |83, |'84suitably' joined tothe supporting member t`o holdthe 'lifting mechanism 'with the supportingjarmf |46 4adjacentlthe iron;

Aand'forth' from thev work. The operator is` relievedof'gthe;worksoflifting-the'iron and bringing it from-one part of theboard to another for placn ing new-,work o n the board. Since theoperator sits] while ironing, hecan accomplish much work in averyefcient way. The iron may be readily tilted v.to ;iron-;lacework, folds,andV to perform special operations without imposing a strain ontheoperator. -Throughoutfthe operation the iron handle is Acool; andtroubles with the cord are eliminated. By keeping'the plugsocket at adis,- tance :from the hot iron, the plug terminals and lead connectionsarejfmantained at a low temperature, reducing the vresistance and theheating of ,the contacts and preventing'their deterioration.v Thespecial shape of the iron with its beveled'edges make it possible tobring the iron under buttonsand the long nose of the iron gets easilyunder sleeves, collars and similarplaces which are hard to reach. Thelarge surface of the iron makespossibleironing with fewer strokesandkeliminates` ridges andmarks occurring with smaller irons. v 1 v Theprinciples of invention-disclosed herein will suggest-many modificationsthereof yto those skilled in the art, and it isaccordingly desired thatthe appended-claims be given a broadconstruction commensuratewith thescope ofthe invention. r f

I claim;

1. Injhan ironing device for ironing articles on an` elevated oblong vironing board .having a corner portion at oney end, an iron, pivotalsupporting means including lifting meansfor lifting said supportingmeans carried/by said board adjacent the cornerportion of said board onthe underside thereof, a cantilever arm extending from said supportingmeans having a free end carry- Ving :said iron above the level of saidboard, and foot-actuated operating means A`carried. -on the underside ofsaid board for actuating said lifting vmeans, to lower saidv iron to thelevel ,K ofv saidv board upon actuation of said operating means and forlifting said f'iron above the level ofsaid board upon releasing saidoperating means, said cantilever -arm consisting of a plurality of larf`ticulatedfhollow tubular, members shaped and proportioned to permitfreecontinuous'move-k ment of said iron overthe area `of said boardincluding theregion overlapping thecircumference of said board whileresting on the board and folding of said arms substantially within thearea of said board adjacent the level of. the board.

.. 2. vIn an ironing device for ironing articles on an elevated oblongironing board having a corner portion at one end, an iron, supportingmeans including lifting means for lifting said supporting means carriedby said board adjacent the corner ,portion of said boarden-.theunderside thereof,

a cantilever arm formed of two articulated hollow tubular,v arm sectionspivotally carried by lsaid supporting means and having a'free endcarrying said iron above the level of said board, and foot-actuatedoperating means carried by the underside of said'board for actuatingsaid lifting means to lower said iron to the level of said boarduponactuation of said -operating means fand for lifting said iron above thelevel of said board upon releasing said operating means, one of saidhollow arm sections having a curved portion shapedr and proportioned topermit free continuous movement of said iron over the area of said boardand the z' regionV overlapping the entire circumference of said boardexcept the l support corner of said board while resting on the .boardandin a higherlevel abo-ve the board and folding of said armssubstantially within the area of said board adjacent to the level ofsaid board.

3. In an ironing device for ironing articles on an elevated oblongironing board having a corner portion at one end and foldable supportinglegs, an iron, a pivotal support including lifting means for liftingsaid support carried on the underside of said board secured to thecorner portion of said board, a cantilever arm formed of two articulatedhollow tubular arm sections pivotally carried by said supporting meansand having a free end carrying said iron above the level of said board,and operating means carried by said board on the underside thereof foractuating said lifting means to lower said iron to the level of saidboard upon actuation of said operating means and for lifting said ironabove the level of said board upon releasing said operating means, saidsupporting means, said operating means and said cantilever arm sectionsbeing shaped, proportioned and correlated to said board and its legs topermit free movement of said iron over the area o-f said board whileresting on the board and in a higher level above the board and foldingof said arms within the area of said board adjacent the level of saidboard while said legs are folded against said board for enabling thestoring of said board and the elements carried by it in a fraction ofthe space occupied by the board and its unfolded legs.

4. In an ironing device for ironing articles on an ironing board, aniron, a pivotal support carried by said board at one side of said board,

a cantilever arm formed of two articulated hollow tubular arm sectionspivotally carried by said support and having a free end carrying saidiron above the level of said board, and electrically actuated operatingmeans carried by said board for lowering said support to a level atwhich the weight of said iron is carried by said board upon energizingsaid operating means and for lifting said iron above the level of saidboard upon deenergizing said operating means, said cantilever armsections being shaped and proportioned to permit free movement of saidiron over the area of said board while resting on the board and in ahigher level above the board and folding said arm sections substantiallywithin the area of said board.

5. In an ironing device for ironing articles on a work support, an iron,guide means for loosely carrying and guiding said iron over the worksupport above the level of said work support, foot actuated operatingmeans for actuating said guide means to lower said iron to a level atwhich the weight of the iron is released to rest on said work support,and indicating means associated with said iron and said guide meansactuated by the motion of said iron relatively to said guide means uponreleasing of said iron when the entire weight of the iron is carried bysaid work support for visually indicating that the weight of said ironrests on said work support and controlling the force applied to saidguide means.

SIMON DEUTSCH.

